


A Favour Repaid

by kat_hale



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, Post-Season/Series 01, Yuri is totally Viktor and Yuuri's son, Yuuri helping Yuri with his skating, Yuuri in Russia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-16 15:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9278834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kat_hale/pseuds/kat_hale
Summary: In Episode 3, Yuuri asks Yuri to help him land the quad Salchow. Now that Yuuri's living in Russia, maybe he can return the favour?





	

**Author's Note:**

> A massive thank you to [Grassepi](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Grassepi/pseuds/Grassepi) for beta-ing this fic and making sure Yura stayed in character! Grace, I'm finally posting fic because of you, thank you! <3
> 
> This came out a conversation Grace and I had, plus (too) many rewatches of YOI.

“Not all skaters look up to you.” – _Episode 10_ , Yuri to Viktor in Barcelona

* * *

 

It was the end of February and Yuuri was adjusting to the rink and new rinkmates in St. Petersburg rather well. Mila was welcoming and Georgi seemed to enjoy answering any questions Yuuri had about Russian culture when Viktor was busy training with Yakov.

Yuuri was at that moment taking a short break (yes, even he of the stamina that impressed his fiancé needed breaks) when he noticed Yura working on his free skate. Yakov and Viktor were at the other end of the rink and Lilia hadn’t come to the rink that day, so Yuri was practicing on his own.

It was as entrancing as ever, the young Russian skater breathtakingly beautiful, like a prima ballerina. But as Yuuri looked closer, he noticed that the step sequences seemed… lacking. Movements he would have held longer, Yura cut short. There was nothing truly wrong with it, but Yura’s run of the routine reminded Yuuri that the younger skater excelled more at jumping than in some of the other elements.

* * *

Yuri finished his free skate and began wheezing. Damn, he needed better endurance. He made his way over to the edge to grab a drink and spotted Katsudon already there. As he got closer, he could suddenly see that the Japanese skater had been watching him.

“What?” he growled as he swiped his bottle up and began to drink.

“Oh… I… thought it was wonderful Yuri,” Katsudon stuttered. Yuri looked at him through his bangs, which had fallen out of his ponytail again. Katsudon wasn’t saying everything.

“You’re withholding something,” he snapped and then he looked away. A beat passed and then, more quietly, “I’d…rather hear whatever it is from you than that ancient, washed-up loser or Yakov.”

Over the month since Yuuri and Viktor had made Russia home, Yuri had been slowly watching his idol grow more and more confident. Yuuri had been nailing his practices and perfecting his jumps and whenever Yuuri landed a quad Salchow, Yuri felt a small spark of pride, though he angrily shoved the sensation down. Yuri was not proud of the katsudon for landing a jump he himself had been able to do before he’d even finished the Junior level (and no, he had no plans on telling Yakov this ever, he didn’t need another lecture).

Viktor and Yuuri had also invited Yuri over for dinner several times in the past month. Though the teen had growled and scowled, he kept going over. Not because he was feeling a little homesick for Moscow and his grandfather’s borscht and pirozhki, no, of course not, he was Yuri Plisetsky. It was simply because Viktor and Yuuri were both better cooks than Yakov and this way he didn’t have to make food for himself.

(If Yuri were being honest, the pair’s apartment reminded him a little of the Japanese onsen back in Hasetsu. Though he had spent most of his time scowling while there, Yuri couldn’t ignore the feeling of _home_ that ran through his blood every time Yuuri’s mother would offer him food or even check in on him when he came back from an exhausting day at the rink to make sure he had disinfectant and bandages for any blisters that had developed over the day. He wondered how Yuuri had been able to leave for five whole years.)

After spending so much time with Katsudon, Yuri was finding that he felt a lot guiltier if he was rude or mean to the Japanese skater. He had told Viktor that he didn’t look up to him- the hero of Russia, the living legend of the figure skating world- back in Barcelona. No, someone else had caught Yuri’s eye during his last Junior Grand Prix and now he had the chance to observe him up close constantly.

“Thank you,” Katsudon said suddenly and gave Yuri a shy smile. “I was thinking that your jumps are as wonderful as ever, but… your step sequences and spins seem a little… choppy.”

Yuri looked at the other skater. He knew deep down that Yuuri was right, though it hurt a little that he wasn’t able to impress the man with his own sequences and spins. That didn’t stop Yuuri from crossing his arms. “So?”

“Well, I…I was thinking that if you suspended some of your movements just a bit longer, you might have a chance to breathe. And it would be smoother too,” Katsudon replied.

“It’s supposed to be fast,” Yuri snarked.

Katsudon gave him an unimpressed look, which took Yuri by surprise. “Doesn’t mean that the movements have to look more like breakdance moves than ballet. Minako-sensei could do some the fastest movements in ballet I’ve ever seen and still make you think that each movement had no end.”

Yuri bit his lip as he tried to fight the urge to look down. He had met Minako and had been almost as intimidated by her skills as Lilia’s. And Lilia would probably make the exact same comment as the Japanese skater tomorrow when she came to practice.

He let out a sigh and looked down. “I’m only saying this once. Could you… help me with the step sequences?” he asked quietly.

* * *

While Yura was looking down, Yuuri was busy reeling from Yura’s request. The teen had slowly been warming to him (and Viktor) over the month, but this… this was unique. Yuuri was struck with the memory of a situation back in the spring of last year. He had asked Yura for help with his Salchow when Viktor had been late to practice. Yura had been short-tempered, but he had honestly helped Yuuri understand where he had been going wrong.

Yuuri suddenly smiled. “Of course Yuri. What would you like to go over first?”

* * *

Yuri’s head whipped up and his blue eyes were wide. After a moment, he composed himself and replied gruffly, “You pick.” Katsudon was still smiling as they both moved away from the railing. Yuri didn’t know what to make of it, but for once he kept his temper under control.

Katsudon was going to help him with his step sequence and a small part of Yuri was dying to jump up and down like when he was little and had landed his first double.

“What if we start after the quad Salchow? If you held the fan spiral before the triple axel just a moment longer and moved your right arm from fifth down to the open demi-second just a fraction slower, the spiral would seem a little more coordinated,” Katsudon said.

Yuri knew immediately where in the program he was talking about. He went through the sequence, trying to apply the correction, and looked at the other skater when he finished. Katsudon glided over to him. “Better, but…” he trailed off, beginning to demonstrate specifically what he meant to Yuri. As the Japanese man went through the fan spiral and then held the position as he went through the path for the port de bras of the right arm, Yuri couldn’t quite squash how utterly impressed he was with the katsudon’s ability to hold the perpendicular position without moving.

* * *

“And now you would have a chance to grab a longer breath before you go into your axel,” Yuuri said as he returned to an upright position. Yura nodded and with a determined frown, ran through the sequence again. He was almost there.

As Yura came back over to him, Yuuri asked, “Yuri, can I hold you and go through the movement with you?”

Yura blinked. “Like pair-skating? Like what you and that idiot did for the exhibition?”

Yuuri smiled. For all that Yura bad-mouthed Viktor, he knew that Yura was aware of Viktor’s talent. It was part of why Yura had chased him to Japan all those months ago. He knew Viktor could create a stunning debut piece for him. And Viktor only fed the banter between the two Russian skaters, mostly amused by Yura’s insults, unless directed towards Yuuri. Then the air would get a little icy.

“Yes, like that. Just so I can direct your arm exactly how I mean.”

Yura shrugged. Yuuri stood behind him and took his arms before Yura could get defensive. “All right, I’m going to control your arms, you do the rest.”

The pair launched into the spiral and Yuuri slowly pulled Yura’s arm down. He then helped Yura upright and Yura nodded firmly before going through the movement again.

“Yes! Perfect Yura!” Yuuri said, before realizing that he had called the teen by the nickname he and Viktor typically used in private. Yura didn’t seem to notice, too busy flashing Yuuri a shy smile before going through the spiral again and again.

Yuuri was thankful for Yura’s dedication to get the movement right because his heart was still recovering from Yura’s smile. Sure, he and Viktor weren’t Yura’s actual parents, but it sometimes felt like they were. The part of him that Yuuri labelled as paternal very much wanted to see Yura smile genuinely more, because Yura’s smiles transformed his face completely. Not quite angelic, but the smile revealed what Yuuri had suspected since the night of Rostelecom Cup when Yura had given him the katsudon pirozhki: that Yura had been hurt by someone close, but he still desired to be kind and generous to those he labelled as worthy.

Next, Yuuri had Yura run the opening part of his piece until the quad Salchow and began pointing out the moments in that section of the choreography where he saw the potential for suspension of the movements, for each moment to be stretched just a little further, to leave the audience still attached to the first move as he transitioned into the second. After Yura took his corrections and applied them, the pair moved on to the section after the triple axel. They continued to run through the section in between his jumps until they reached the end.

As the pair worked, Yuuri grew more and more impressed with Yura’s focus. Mila had told Yuuri during a break once how Yura had changed when he’d returned from Japan, how Yuuri had given Yura the drive and motivation to focus on his practices. Yuuri fought to keep his breathing steady as Yura began to connect sections, focusing on the adjustments Yuuri had given him. Yura was so focused and Yuuri realized suddenly, rather mature for his age in that moment.

* * *

Finally, Katsudon stepped back and gestured for Yuri to run the entire piece.

Yuri took his starting mark and as his free skate music began to play in his mind, he felt a shift in his skating. The piece, while extremely intense, felt more… smooth. Like there were slivers of time where Yuri could now catch his breath. He felt that he could make it through to the end of his piece without wanting to collapse each time.

As he reached the end, he turned to look at Katsudon. There was a look on his face that Yuri couldn’t name. As he began to skate over, he wondered, for a split second, if he had misinterpreted everything Yuuri had said to him.

Suddenly Katsudon was coming towards him and then there were the arms of a Japanese training jacket wrapped around him and a voice whispering in his ear, “Yuratchka, that was _perfect_.”

Yuri had to bite his lip to prevent sudden tears from falling as he found himself returning the hug. As Yuri closed his eyes for a moment, he felt a vindication like no other flood his system. He had made Katsudon _proud_.

“Yuuri! Yura! What are you doing?”

Yuri flinched and shoved Katsudon away, fighting the blush that crept up his neck and ears. Viktor was approaching with Yakov, who had his normal ‘unimpressed coach’ face.

“Yura was just showing me a part of his routine,” the Japanese skater replied and Yuri glanced over at him. The other man could have easily told Viktor that he had been helping Yuri with his free skate, so why didn’t he?

Yuri’s idol looked back and sent him an understanding look and a wink as Katsudon began to skate away with Viktor to the other end of the rink. A lightning bolt of an epiphany hit Yuri. Yuuri was protecting him from Viktor’s teasing because he valued that moment just as much as Yuri had. It had been a moment where Yuri had let down his walls with Katsudon and he had recognized how rarely that happened for Yuri.

As Yakov barked at him to go through his short program, Yuri smiled. Maybe… maybe he could invite Katsudon with him to Moscow to have his grandfather’s freshly made katsudon pirozhki sometime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> So... I'm a dancer, not a skater. I tried my best to break down Yuri's movements of his free program so that Yuuri could tell him where there are moments to be improved, but I apologize if I've misnamed a step. (I'm not saying these are actual problems in Yuri's performance, if was simply the closest I could approximate so that Yuuri could offer corrections with Yuri's step sequences since they are Yuuri's specialty. I do promise that the ballet movements are correct- using RAD terminology anyway.)


End file.
